The Lagos State Police Command has denied a report claiming that senior police officers were ordered to pay N6,000 each as “2025 POWA dues” to an association linked to the wife of the Inspector-General of Police.
In a statement on Monday by the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, the Command described the Sahara Reporters headline “EXCLUSIVE: Nigeria Police Order Senior Officers to Pay N6,000 Each As ‘2025 POWA Dues’ to Association Under IGP Egbetokun’s Wife” as “malicious, outrightly false, unfounded, and a figment of imagination.”
Hundeyin said there was never any instruction to pay dues to the IGP’s wife or her office.
He explained that the Police Officers Wives Association is a non-governmental organisation, and that POWA funds come from voluntary dues and donations by officers.
The statement read, “The Command wishes to clarify further that Police Officers Wives Association (POWA) is a non-governmental organisation which is the umbrella body of all Police Officers’ Wives throughout the Country, set up to alleviate the welfare condition of wives of police officers and their families from inception of the Nigeria Police Force.
“The organisation as an NGO with a lot of social responsibilities that bother in catering for better welfare of police wives and their family members, empowerment for the wives, children and wards of deceased police officers who paid supreme price in the service of our fatherland.
“And families of other police officers who died in active service are solely funded from the dues and donations from police officers throughout the country from their salaries voluntarily paid by such officers in Lagos State Police Command to POWA account in the state.”
CSP Hundeyin further clarified that POWA dues are voluntary and are payable only by senior officers from the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police and above when they join the Force and are posted to state commands or duty posts.
The statement also said, “The dues are paid into POWA account domiciled in Lagos State and also expended in the State Command for the benefit of members and not to POWA President or her office in Abuja.”
The Lagos command urged the public to disregard the report.
It also called on media organisations to avoid publishing information that could “misinform the public or cast aspersions” on individuals working to support police widows and families.
